Beet-harvester.



)WJ-751,190. f 4PATBN'LED APR. 12, 1904.

LLM. BEI-Lm a M. H. REED.

DEBT HARVESTER. APPLICATION APB. 9, 1908\ Afro/m5 Vs. y

u pper lead will travel adjacent to the arms19 and in an upward and rearward direction, thus'- making provision for carrying the harvested beets away from .the digging mechanism and discharging said beets .into any suitable apparatus, such as a dumping appliance Vor a loadingfYehicle adapted to trail after the beet-har# vester or alongside of the latter. i A

The stocks17` arealso equipped with rear'- vwardly-extending arms 21, whch'are fastened to the stocks' at points above the guide-arms 19. These arms prevent the beets when thrown rearwardlyby the action of'a spade mechanism from passing laterally beyond the path of the elevator or carrier 20. The lstocks are :furthermorel equipped with metallic shoes 22, which are lfastened to the Vfront edges thereof in a suitable way. These shoes serve.

. toprimarily takeA up the wear to'which the front ends ofthe stocks are exposed, and by' 'fastening the shoes removably tothe stocks they may be readily removed when- .worn and replaced by other shoes. The shoes shown` yby the Vdrawings are preferably curved in cross-sectionand fastened to the stocks -at points. between theshovels 18 and. the guide-v arms 19, said' shoes being arranged to present their convex faces to the soil andato pass through the latter with minimuml friction.

We will'nowfproceed to describe the spading mechanism by which the beets vare thrown or kicked rearwardly between the stocks and towardthe conveyer or elevator, said spading mechanism serving also to" remove the soil which may adhere to the harvested beets. The frame 14 is;equippedwi th a suitable num-v ;ber of shaftfbearings 23, in which are journaledthe end portions of a crank-shaft 24,

i saidv shaft having a proper number of cranks 25, which are disposedradially to the shaft.-

As shownby Figs. 2 and'3, this shaft is prol vided with 'two cranks which extend in opposite directionsfrom the bearing portions of said shaft, vand these `cranks are operably con- Lnected with spadesor rakes 26.l Each spade or rake consists' of a suitable bar' of metal or other .material having a pointed eiitremity, although the detailed constructionof the spade is not material, and each spade is loosely or hingedly connected at a point intermediate of its length to one of the cranks 25 of the shaft '24. The upper end of each spade 26-has`pivotal connection witha tension-rod 427, which' extends forwardly from the crankLshaft and the s'padezto the front end of the carrying ,frarnez'` Said rod 27 is fitted loosely in a 'snitable'guide 28,-provided at the frontend of f the frame 5, and this front portion of the rod passes loosely through a coiled' tension-spring 29, one end of which is fastened to the frame 5 or the guide 28,- while the rear end of the spring is made fast. with one ofthe rods 27.

The crank-shaft 24 is adaptedto be posi? tively driven for the purpose of actuatmgthe series of spades 26, and *in the drawings `We i have shown said shaft 24 as having a spreche# wheel 30- Vfastened to one end thereof. This sprocket-wheel engages with a sprocket-chain 31, which 'is driven by a sprocket-wheel 32, l

made fast with the counter-'shaft l2.`

In the service of themachine it is drawn over a row of growing plants a teamof horseshitched to the tongue 8', and the lever 16 is properly adjusted to uiove the frame 14 to the required position. The sh vels 18- are 75 drawn through the row of plants n a way'to.

- excavate ordig the beets from therow, and at the sametimethe shaft 24 is positively driven for the purpose of actuating the `spades 26. As each spade moves in a downwarddirection its point lpenetrates the ground, and when the crank -25 of the shaft moves rearward-lyon the .rotation of said shaft said crank operates the spade 26 to impel the latter forcibly in a rearward direction, the spade turning on the loose -yconnection between its. upper portion and theV rod 27. The spades 26 are thus actuated to throw .the beets rearwardly between the stocks and,toward the elevator, andthe beets j are thus delivered-bythe spading mechanism and the digging devices upon said elevator 20, which serves to carry them in an upward and rearward direction to. a 'suitable point of deposit. l A s a .The springs 29 are of such strength .'asto hold the rods 27 in their normal positionsto serve as the pivots for the spades 26.; butl when either spade encounters'an. obstruction, suchas a rockv or thelike, thepull ofthe rod 27 increases the tension ,of the 'sprin,g-28,l so

that the spade will yield or /give until it shall.

have passedthe obstruction in its path.. p Having thus ldescribed our invention,l we claim as new. and desire. to secure by Letters Patentffo In a beet-harvester, the combination with a frame having guides, of lpivotal rods slidably engaging .with said guides on Ithe frame, a. crank-shaft, spading devices each connected4 to a crank of the shaft and to one of said. piv' otal rods, and springs connected to the frame and to the'rods, each spring being of suiiicient tension to hold the rod against slidable movement under normal conditions in the service of the spading device and adapted to give unlIIC der undue strain when the spading device en- E. jH. HALn'sKY, j Unas. Barnim/s. 

